The lady in Red (REWRITTEN!)

Chapter 5

I watch everyone leave the room one by one and when the last one left to leave looks at me and gives me a small smile, I lose it. What's that smile about? Was that a 'Oh, you're in trouble' smile, or 'good luck, you got promoted to something higher' smile? Either is mind-boggling. I turn to face Reece. If this is about coffee—

"What happened out there?" he asks, suddenly, standing by the squared-glass window in front of him, his back facing me. This is about the coffee. Great.

"What do you mean?" I step a little closer to get a better look of what he's looking at and realize that...oh, wow. He can see everything that goes on right in front of him. The muscles on his back strain, tightening through his suit.

"Nothing happened. Just some misunderstanding between me and the barista." I walk closer to him and stop when I am face to face with him. I smile, to encourage serenity but he doesn't smile back. He looks away quickly.

"Okay, Catherine. Clear out your schedule for the next week or two. I need you where I'm going." Reece slips back into his seat, folds his hands together on the desk, and looks at me with intensity, his eyes zeroing on me with sharp precision. I swallow a lump down my throat. Every time he looks at me like that I can't think straight. It takes me a good minute for what he said to register in my brain. I shake my head to snap out of it. He wants me to go with him somewhere. Okay, I can do that.

"Noted. Where to?" It's not like I have anything better to do. He gives me a small smirk.

"Japan." He keeps his eyes locked on mine to see my reaction. And a reaction he got. My eyes widen. I almost choke on my spit. I'm trying to form words but I can't.

"Mr. Dean—" I manage to say. That's all I can really say.

"Any problem?" Problem? Yes. I'm afraid of flying. I'm afraid of planes. I'm afraid of those types of heights and not to mention I have never traveled out of the country before. Oh, did I mention I don't have the visa to travel to Japan?

"Yes, actually. There's a problem. There are several---" It's his eyes. His eyes are so sharp right now I swear it's cutting me. It's like he's challenging me to defy him and I don't really like to get into people's bad side. I certainly do not want to get on his bad side. Reece wouldn't like it and I know he wouldn't. My refusal could just be an excuse that is probably not that justifiable so my silence is probably the best thing right now.

"No problem. Two tickets to Japan got it." His smile of approval tells me I did the right thing. I kept my valid excuses for myself. I give him a small smile, nod and walk out of his office.

My valid excuses are one thing but...being alone with him in a different country---

Now that's what I call a solid breakthrough. 

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FAIRLY SHORT CHAPTER. STAY TUNED ;)